WaG YouR TaiL

It's the year of the dog....according to the zodiac cycle of the Lunar New Year. I'm not an ardent follower of the zodiac, but it's interesting to see what the characteristics of the animal represents and how people sum each other up accordingly. So if you're born in the dog year, you must be faithful;if you come under the horse sign, then you must be a hard worker. But what about those born under the zodiac sign of the snake and the pig?!! Doesn't say much about these people, doesn't it? Yet these people are probably the sweetest and loveliest people you would have met. It's more important to know the person and not to try and fit the sign to the person.
SELAH

BISCUITS

Do you like eating biscuits? Many people like Oreos, especially the ones with thick luscious chocolate or vanilla spread thickly in-between.Everything would be complete with a nice ice-cold glass of milk, wouldn't it? I like Marie or Digestives, where you can dunk them in your tea or coffee. Eating biscuits remind me of young days, when mum would be around, the biscuit tin would be out of reach, the milk would be ice-cold....it reminds me of intimacy, of a warm intimate setting of security......imagine that......just the mention of biscuits triggers all sort of things! We need triggers like this in our lives.....positive, wholesome triggers......triggers that warm the heart, triggers that remind us that hope still abounds, that love isn't a lost word or a misused word.

SELAH

FeeLS to Be LoVEd

what does it feel to be loved?
I observed an interesting interaction with a father and his son. The father was concerned that the son wouldn't make it academically because he had wasted away his time with mindless distractions. The son sat in a corner and the father poured his heart to me. I was observing the son's reaction and it wasn't at all positive. He had that pout, that defensive stance of arms folded across his chest as his dad spoke. Then something happened. The dad turned to his son and said, "Do you know how it feels to be loved? When you react the way you do, I feel hurt!" I could see the dad was moved and I could see a shift in the son's disposition. I believe he had never heard those words from his dad before.
When was the last time you told someone that they feel loved? Sometimes we get so absorbed in our own affairs we have little time to take into account the person next to us.
SELAH

CHaNGE

Change......it's a puzzling word isn't it? On the one hand, we want to see it take it's rightful place but yet we are so cautious about accepting it wholeheartedly.

Change is POWERFUL. It has the ability to redefine paradigms, to redirect pathways, to realign lives. Yet it can also be used in a negative way. That is when change takes a self-centered approach, where no concern is given for the those affected, except the one instituting the change. That kind of change isn't helpful.

We need not only change that is POWERFUL but change that is POSITIVE. We need a change that betters the life around us, that enables the weak to rise, the humble to see their dreams come true. Let's make this season one of powerful positive change!

SELAH

PoP goes CuLTuRE

Pop Culture......it denotes what ticks for youths of today......what is hot for music, what cinema shows youth run to watch or what arcade games sell out best with youth. Pop culture gives us a peek into the mind of the young today. Some people think pop culture isn't worth considering...it's just fads and raves; that may be true, but so were bobby socks, Elvis and Sinatra or Banarama or Packman! Pop culture represents what attracts, what enthuses youth and we should use it as bridge to build, not a bridge to burn. It is a bridge into their culture, their world. As much as we want youth to respect the older generation, we need to build bridges into their world and understand them first. When they see the attempt made, the the frustrated frowns will turn into smiles and the clenched fists will extend to a warm grasp of solidarity and friendship.

SELAH

HoW BrOaD ArE YoUr ShOuLdErS?

I was at a shopping centre and it was packed with kids and their parents-school holidays have descended upon us! It is the Christmas season and shopping centres are trying their level best to pack in the crowds to ring in the profits...it times like these that I enjoy watching the crowd; and indeed you can derive valuable lessons from what you see. Like there was this time when this really cute boy who was desperately trying to get a view of a performance on stage but he couldn't. His father was standing away from him and this little boy ran to his dad and tugged at his dad's shirt...he wanted to see too! His dad smiled and hoisted the little fella up and his face just lit up with excitement.

So did my heart.

How many of us would 'pick up' our colleagues and allow them to enjoy the view we do? We would rather pick on them, dissuade them, ridicule them and leave them alone as we selfishly enjoy the view. We need more people to be hoisters; to offer assistance, a lending hand, an encouraging word. Are you volunteering? YES! I CAN SEE THE VIEW TOO! Thanks!!
SELAH

AttiTUDE of GratiTUDE

Thanks.......Thank you.......

How often do we really stop and ask ourselves if we have realised the power of these words? In a world of urgency, we seem to be in too much of a hurry to even stop and say thank you.
Here's my thank you list:

• Thank you to the foreign workers who tirelessly keep Singapore running smoothly
• Thank you to the teachers of our schools for turning dreams into realities
• Thank you care workers in our hospitals, our family care centers for providing support
• I want to thank our defence and police for ensuring we are secure
• I want to thank parents, grandparents for just being there when nobody seemed to care
• I want to thank YOU for being just .......YOU!

Maybe you should wake up in the morning and make it a point to thank at least one person. Go on.....make that person's day....make your life count

SELAH

SEX ED 101

SEX....Yes, that word has power...
Power to drive men to the brink of unfulfilled desire and drink from the barrel of supressedlust
Power to lure virgin women away from rationality to explore these unfulfilled desires
Power to break up families that had developed bonds of trust
Power to cause confusion among the young, rushing them to grow up after a night of delirious passion
Power to corrupt.......
YET
Power to speak in action, not just words
Power to reconcile lives that have been torn apart from mistakes of the past
Power to rebuild and reaffirm the word 'family'
Power to believe in oneself again
It's how we use it....whether we want to be good stewards or if we want to be irresponsible and be self-centerd....it's our choice.....but it also determines the destiny of all

SELAH

What PEOPLE want REALLY

I was watching with keen interest the two shows on CNA, "What Women Want.... Really" and "What Men Want..... Really" and I switched off the TV and scratched my head and asked this nagging question: "What do People Want......Really?"

Are they looking for the 7 deadly sins? Are they really looking for the cutest bachelors? Or are they just wanting to escape from reality and delve into fantasy?

What do people really want? I believe people are looking for 2 cardinal things in life: SECURITY and ACCEPTANCE. Both points interface to give a person a sense of belonging and hope for the journey ahead. We should have TV shows that promote these two cardinal points. TV is a powerful medium that can either hurt or enhance our lives.
SELAH

iCOns

If you had the chance to choose an icon, what would you choose for yourself? An icon is a symbol that would best represent who we are. Some famous icons are political icons and religious icons. In marriage, the wedding ring is a powerful icon that symbolises continuity, completeness. What would I choose? Maybe a large ear, because it would reflect what I do on a regular basis....listen as a counselor. Maybe you would differentiate different icons for different segments of your life. Icons are simple yet powerful symbols we can use to remind us, to challenge us, to slow us down. What would you use for yourself?
SELAH

ThRu' ThE LeNs....

Cameras......im a klutz when it comes to cameras.........I guess the simpler they are the better for me. Yet, cameras are supposed to be 'idiot proof' these days...nice label don't you think? THere are 2 schools of thought....should the camera be made for the consumer or should the camera challenge the ability of the consumer? It's a tough question, but it has to be a balanced perspective. If I can utilize my camera and all its functions, I become a genius and a master of my apparatus. If I choose to not want to learn, and keep saying to myself, "You can't take good pictures", then I would never fully know the value of my apparatus. It's not a camera......its a tool. We are the users of this tool....we need to be responsible and knowledgable in using it.....So next time you see a camera, ask yourself....taking pictures or making masterpieces?
SELAH

ThE BiG PiCtUrE

I love visiting Australia for many reasons...the food, the people, the scenery...YES! of course the scenery!! Who can forget the 12 Apostles or the beautiful Daintree forest or the majestic Uluru at its gloriest center? Yet, don't you hate those postcard shots of such famous places? They seem so limited in telling the story of granduer that Creation explodes before our eyes...I guess cameras can only capture a limited slice of grandeur.....but remember, its not the cameras but the person who takes the shots that we should address. How about using a wide angle lens? You get a better perspective, you get a sense of size, of position....you do justice to the picture taken. Isn't life like a camera shot? We may be amateurs, not professionals, but we shouldn't hone in on the small slice....let's get the big picture into perspective and enjoy or understand the event in its proper position. It may take a little effort, but its worth the picture......
SELAH

YOU CAN ONLY SEE THE VIEW IF YOU CLIMB

Have you been to the Equinox at Raffles City? What a view...what an elevator too! Climbing isn't my cup of tea. Those of you who know me would know that I like to test technology and it's claims...especially elevators and escalators! Nonetheless, climbing isn't avoidable. Life is like that isn't it? We want slopes that lead down, because it's easy; but we cannot avoid the steeps that take effort and sweat. We sometimes don't climb because our level of expectation isn't there. We become contended with mediocre or we just don't feel confident that we can climb higher. The view will always be nicer the higher we climb. Point here is this: we need to put into action our thoughts. We need to put effort in what we say. Yet the effort results in a rich reward.....the view! Aim for that......yes?
SELAH

RELIEF YOURSELF

THe bathroom......some people call it their palce of solace; some people call it their place of refuge and solitude, where they can gather their thoughts. Functionally, its a place of relief! It may sound a little squirmy talking about the bathroom so openly, but its a noted fact-we need quiet places to relieve (sic) ourselves. We need to purge (pun intended) our lives regularly to get rid of the clutter of emotions and thoughts that may prevent us from thinking clearly. How often do you do that? The last thing we need is a constipated mind that isn't productive.......
Time to flush!!
SELAH

Turning Messes into Messages

How do you feel about messes? Stupid question you may ask? Yet, its a pertinent question. How do we deal with messes? Most of us react to messes. When we encounter a mess, we get emotional, we react and explode. We don't have time to think, because we are thinking of how we are misrepresented, or misinterpreted in the mess. Its a ME-centred approach. That's why its a pertinent question. Society needs to move away from being ME centred to being US centred. When we start taking into consideration those around us and how they may inadvertently be hurt, then we would be more cautious in our processes and its outcomes. That's the message we need to convey. OTHERS DO MATTER, not just YOU!
SELAH

aLiVE adMidsT StOrMs

We have been hearing alot about weather differences lately. It's seems so difficult to accurately predict the wrath of a hurricane, the damage it can do. We seem to be at the mercy of the forces of Nature. Nature seems to have taken an angry tone. Yet there are lessons we can always learn from these instances:
1. We cannot predict, but we can be prepared. That means we need to be proactive rather than reactive
2. We need to learn to be cooperative rather than stand alone. Now isn't the time for us to be self-centerd; when disasters come, EVERYONE, in some way or another is affected. Helping each other makes the day seem brighter.
3. As always, we learn from our mistakes. We aren't perfect, but we can learn from our mistakes and be better equipped for the future.
SELAH

BloGGers ethics

Bloggers beware!

It was a subject all bloggers were engrossed in; rascist remarks on the Net. "Why?"; "How dare they?" would be most people's response. Some may argue that its freedom of speech here that's been impinged upon. What's our response? It's important to remember that though the blogger is writing in a private capacity, he is using public space. It's a question of sensitivity and responsibility. Surely you would like to enjoy your picnic in the park, but you are also to keep in mind that its a public space where others can use. In our self-absorbed society, we forget the need to remember the implications involved in our actions. We need to have a big picture perspective...always.
SELAH

superSTAR

It's been a while since I last blogged....but here I am.....

The surge of energy created by Channel U's runaway success, Project Superstar has got me wondering about how we view people these days...do labels maketh the man? Sadly, it seems to be the view of many that just because you may not dance or because you are disabled or disadvantaged or handicapped in some way, you won't fit the brand 'superstar'. On the contrary, what makes a superstar is someone who manages to smile and make himself/herself fit into normality of life, in spite of difficulties or circumstances faced. They deserve to be lauded as Superstars...
Thanks Kelvin and you deserve it....shine on for the rest of us to follow
SELAH

STiLL small VOICE

It's been a while since I last blogged. Did i have withdrawl symptoms? You bet! I don't know how many people actually stop and read what I share, but i felt really irresponsible for not doing my duty of writing this blog....even if it is totally voluntary!

Strange isn't it? This thing we call conscience. We wish for more of people in society to have a conscience of ownership, of responsibility, of justice. Imagine if we all set our consciences to high alert; this world would probably see a decline in vices and an increase in honesty, and integrity. Yet a conscience is only as good as how one uses it. If we choose to compromise and be complacent, it's voice is silenced.....
SELAH

Little Black Book

Black Books. You know, the ones where darkest secrets are written.....real 'tell-me-all" stories are found? Ones that you keep hidden in the deepest drawer so no one can see? We all have one, physically or metaphorically speaking. Some of us actually keep such a book, others, keep a drawer in our mind all locked up with a huge NO TRESSPASSING sign firmly displayed. Really, what we write in there doesn't quite help...it binds the secret to us...we and the secret become one. When we are so intertwined, the secret can become our reality. that's powerful but dangerous. Be careful what you put in your little black book...its black for a reason... or rather it should be red.....yes?
SELAH